Desperate Measures
by CreatorZorah
Summary: Unable to cope with Lily's death, Severus Snape tries to revive her by implanting her memories into her son, turning him into her clone.
1. Prologue

A/N. I had an itch that needed to be scratched, so I wrote this chapter. I had the idea when I watched the Deathly Hallows last time. The scene where Severus Snape discovers dead Lily Potter. I don't know if I ever will continue the story, because I don't have time to write fanfiction. Still… if someone would want to continue it, consider it a **CHALLENGE** to continue it. I'd love to read it, assuming it **won't** be Tom/Lily, Draco/Lily, Lily/Severus or harem. A lesbian pairing would be the best!

 **Warnings:** male to female Harry.

* * *

 **Desperate Measures**

 _Prologue_

Severus Snape was walking through the house, which had been home to the Potters. Despite everything, he hoped that Lily was somehow alive, that the Dark Lord had spared her life. He couldn't accept the fact that she was dead, or worse, that he was the case of her death. If he hadn't told the Dark Lord about the Prophecy nothing would have happened. If only he had learned earlier that the Dark Lord knew where the Potters were hiding…

He ignored the little boy who was crying. To tell truth he didn't even notice the boy, because all he could see was the woman lying dead on the floor. Lily was dead. The only human except his mother he had ever cared was dead. The woman he had always loved was dead. He was dead without her. This world was dead without her.

The moment when Severus hugged Lily's dead body his world shattered, but it was the moment an idea took root in his mind. He had to revive her! He had to bring her back. What was his knowledge good for if it couldn't bring the woman he loved back? What good was being a genius if he couldn't do that? What was magic good for if it took her life? He had to find a way!

He took a deep breath as he realized that there was in fact a way to bring Lily back. He knew that her soul had left this world, but her memories were still intact. He had about eleven hours, before it would be too late. She wouldn't be the same Lily, but still… He looked at the boy, then at Lily. It was a horrible thing to do. If anyone learned about it, he would be sent to Azkaban. Alas, he could only think about reviving Lily.

Severus stunned the boy and disapparated taking both Lily's body and the boy with him. He needed a very special potion, which would take some time to brew. The time Lily's body didn't have. However, he didn't need her body. Some flesh, a hair and her memories. Severus took some of her beautiful hair and pointed a wand at her right hand. He hesitated. It was horrendous for him even to consider damaging her body in any way, but it had to be done. Not with a wand, however. Magic could interfere with the potion. He took a knife and sliced her right hand off. Both ingredients for the potion were carefully conserved.

The memories. It was almost impossible to read memories of those who died. Every person had a unique mind, a very special way to deal with memories. Without owner's consciousness to guide an intruder, it would take years to make some sense of memories. Severus didn't need to do that. He pointed his wand at the boy and spoke, " _Obliviate Maxima_ ", completely erasing the baby's mind. A child could do that much more efficiently. Lily's memories would become the baby's memories. Of course, it would take some time for the child to integrate her memories. Most likely, it would take years, but there was no need to rush.

It was impossible to transfer memories selectively. All or nothing. Severus didn't want her to remember about her relationship with Potter or having a child. Still, she would regain her memories in a reverse chronological order. All he needed to do was to check her memories from time to time and once he noticed any memories from her fourth year at Hogwarts he would erase her memories. This way she would only keep her memories until the moment, when he had made _that_ mistake, which had ruined their friendship. There was no way he would repeat the mistake. He wouldn't ruin his second chance with Lily.

Finally, the transfer was completed and he looked at Lily's body with regret. He had to destroy it. He couldn't leave any evidences. Severus kissed her and took a deep breath. The more he waited the harder it would get to do it. He transfigured the body into a log and burned it to ashes in his fireplace.

While the Wizarding world was celebrating the sudden mysterious fall of the Dark Lord, Severus was preoccupied with brewing. It took him a month to brew the potion, which would turn the boy into Lily's clone. If the boy hadn't been her child, it wouldn't work. If the boy had been older than seventeen months, it wouldn't work. The boy was the only one who could be used for Severus' goals. He knew, however, that his Lily wouldn't look exactly like the original one. She would be taller or shorter. Her facial features wouldn't be the same. Different parents, food, environment. And still… she would be his Lily.

Severus would never learn that the potion affected a piece of the Dark Lord's soul, which was attached to the girl's forehead. It was an unintentionally created Horcrux and as such, it was unstable and didn't have years of time to bury itself into the child's skull. The changes caused by the potion which contained Lily's blood destroyed the piece of the Dark Lord's soul and some fragments of his knowledge siphoned into her mind. Fortunately, she didn't receive any vile memories or the Dark Lord's personality, which would poison her mind. Only few pieces of pure knowledge she wouldn't even be aware of for many years.

He spent six additional months crafting a fake identity for the little girl. He put her in stasis in order to move her birthday to August. He found her reclusive muggle parents, who had died recently and had had no relatives. He forged a birth certificate and made sure that no one would be able to claim that she weren't Lily Green, going as far as destroying bodies of her fake relatives. He had insured that even magical means wouldn't identify her as a Potter.

She was placed in a children's home, but was adopted by a young married couple Kathleen and Richard Evans a few months later. Not without Severus' help, who influenced them to choose Lily. The surname was common enough to find good parents for her. They had a three years old daughter Amber and after months of observations, Severus was sure that his Lily would have the best possible family. A few years later during one of his polyjuiced visits, he erased her memories, leaving her without recollection of anything beyond Lily's fourth year at Hogwarts. Severus ceased his visits after that.


	2. Chapter 1

**Desperate Measures**

 _Chapter 1_

It was a rainy day, not one Lily would normally enjoy, but it was the day, she had been waiting for. Ever since she had fallen off a horse on her fifth birthday, Lily had been remembering more and more of her previous life. At least she believed them to be memories and not a product of her wild imagination, because she had evidences that they were real. She had successfully used her knowledge at school on more than a single occasion. She had lost her memories on her fifth birthday. Maybe for the better, because according to her parents she had been suffering from nightmares before that day. Lily had never told them about the memories of her previous life, because she didn't want to cause unnecessary worries.

Leicester was far enough from London that she hadn't considered going to London's Diagon Alley alone, but she had seen the Leaky Cauldron when she had been in London with her parents. Her parents didn't have magic, they couldn't see the pub and she had no wish to appear crazy. She knew, however, that magic existed. She didn't have a wand and it was difficult to do anything without one, but the more she practiced the easier it was to use magic. She prided herself especially with her mastery of levitation. She could fly! Not nearly as fast, as broom riders in her memories, but she couldn't remember a wizard or a witch who was as proficient as she was at wandless levitation. Not quite surprising, she doubted that someone would practice wandless levitation for five years straight. Besides, she had been doing the same thing in her previous life, although less successfully.

Sometimes she wondered what had happened to her in her previous life. She didn't have any memories beyond the fourth year. Lily was sure that she had died at some point during the summer break. It scared her and she was plagued with questions about her past. How had she died? Why had she been given a second chance? What had she forgotten after her fall? Had her nightmares been about circumstances of her death? She wished she could talk to someone. Instead, she had to wait for the letter from Hogwarts.

She had been sitting at the window for three hours ignoring curious glances her mother and older sister had been throwing at her. Lily had shown Amber some of her abilities, but her sister was unaware about Hogwarts. Amy would often ask her to do some magical trick and Lily had always been eager to show off a little. Amber was so unlike Tuney, who had always been envious of her abilities. Her mother on the other hand knew nothing about magic. She wasn't sure how her parents would react to existence of magic.

The moment Lily saw an owl dropping a letter, which flew right through the mail slot, Lily ran to the door.

"Lils, wait!" Amber shouted running after her. "Where's the fire?"

"Did you see that owl?" Lily asked picking up an envelope. "It dropped the letter right into the mail slot."

"No way!" her sister exclaimed. "Let me see it."

 _Miss L. Evans_

 _17 Heron Drive_

 _Small Glen_

 _Leicestershire_

"It's for me," Lily said showing her the envelope.

"From whom is it?"

"No idea…"

She didn't wait a moment longer breaking the wax seal and opening the envelope. Finally, she would be able to tell her parents about magic. Finally they someone would come to her to convince them that magic was real. Finally, she would be able to visit Diagon Alley. Finally, she would buy a wand… Was there a chance to get her old one? It would be so nice…

 **HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

 **Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

 _ **(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**_

 _ **Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

 **Dear Miss Evans,**

 **We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

 **Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

 **Yours sincerely,**

 **Minerva McGonagall**

 **Deputy Headmistress**

It was exactly the same letter. Nothing had changed. Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore still had all these titles! Lily couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts again, to be sorted again. Would she end up in Gryffindor again?

"There are more people like you and they've got a school!"

"There are, it seems."

"I wonder what they are teaching there. Will you tell mum?"

"Of course," Lily answered. "How would I go there otherwise?"

"What about keeping it secret?" Amber asked.

"Well, it's the perfect time to come out and tell them."

Lily knew that someone from Hogwarts would visit her soon. The first time around it had been Professor McGonagall and she had come only an hour after Lily had read the letter. However, she felt it would be fair for her parents to hear it from her rather than from some perfect stranger. Mother was sitting in the chair, reading some magazine.

"Mum, I have to tell you something," Lily said as she and amber came to the room.

"What happened?" Kathleen asked in a very worried voice.

Lily suppressed a giggle. The best way to make parents worried was to tell them that you wanted to talk to them about something.

"I'm a witch," she said.

Kathleen sighed. "Lily…"

"Mum, I'm serious," Lily interrupted her. "I can do magic. Look!"

The next moment she pushed herself off the ground and hovered slowly to her mother. The woman was so shocked that she was simply starring at her daughter in utter disbelief.

"See?" she said as her feet touched the floor again.

"Oh, God… What was… How?" mother asked finally.

"Magic," she answered. "I can do more."

Lily opened her right palm and conjured fire over it. It was harmless and a tad more difficult than hovering in the air, but it was a great example of wandless magic for a demonstration.

"I'm not seeing things, am I?" she asked Amber in a shaky voice.

"No, mum, she really can do some wicked things," sister answered with a sheepish smile. "I've known about it for years."

"Years?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Lily said, "I didn't want you to worry about me."

"How… is that possible?" Kathleen asked, looking at her. "Magic doesn't exist!"

"But it does, mum," Lily said. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to fly through sheer force of will. I wouldn't be able to conjure fire. I wouldn't be able to make a flower bloom."

"It isn't some elaborate prank, is it?"

"No," Lily answered shaking her head.

"But seeing your face as she flew was priceless, mum," Amber said.

"So… magic," Kathleen said, trying to collect herself. "You kept us in the dark all these years. What happened?"

"I received a letter," Lily said and gave the letter to her mother.

"A school of witchcraft and wizardy? It must be a joke."

"I know how ridiculous it seems to be, but think about it. If I can do magic, then there must be other people who can do it too. I keep my abilities secret for a reason. Witch-hunts and all…"

"That makes sense, actually," Kathleen agreed and studied the letter once again. "What do they mean by an owl?"

"Probably, they mean it literary," Lily answered. "I saw an owl flying with this letter. Then the owl dropped it right into the mail..."

She stopped talking as they heard someone knocking on the front door. Mother went to open and Lily sat on the couch beside Amber. Probably it was someone from Hogwarts. She wondered if it was a good idea to tell them about her memories. She decided against it, because she wasn't sure how they would react to it. She knew that most magic connected with resurrection was dark. Before talking to anyone, she had to know what had happened to her. Suddenly, a few very dark rituals came to her mind as if proving her point. Where had she read about them?

Minerva McGonagall looked older. That was Lily's first thought when she saw the professor walking into the room. Then she almost said "Professor McGonagall", which would instantly give her away. However, Lily wasn't the only who was struggling to keep herself calm. The older witch froze when she saw Lily, who looked almost the same during her previous life.

"Lily…" Professor McGonagall uttered.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," Lily said with a smile.

"You're on a roll," Amber whispered to her. "First mum, now the Halloween lady."

"Please, have a seat," Kathleen said, offering the professor a chair. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," the professor answered as she sat in the chair. "I have to apologize, Miss Evans. You've reminded me of an old student of mine, Miss Evans. I'm Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. You must have received a letter from me."

"We did," Kathleen answered. "I must confess that I wouldn't take its content by heart if my daughter hadn't demonstrated her abilities beforehand."

"She did?" McGonagall asked in surprise and turned to Lily. "It's extremely rare for children to exert control over their magic. Would you show me what you can do?"

"But of course," Lily said and jumped off the couch.

She didn't touch the floor. Instead she hovered a foot over it. She hesitated to conjure fire for a moment, but decided that it wouldn't hurt.

"Extraordinary," McGonagall said. "Has anyone else seen you doing that?"

"My sister learned about it when I was seven. I told my mother when I received your letter. I didn't tell anyone else about magic," Lily said. "Witch-hunts and all…"

"A very sensible decision," the professor said with a nod. "It's prudent to mention that it's forbidden to reveal anything about magic to non-magical society. Parents and siblings are exempt from the rule."

"Is that a law?" Kathleen asked.

"International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, established in the seventeenth century."

"Consequently, there's a wizarding government, isn't there?"

"Yes, Wizarding Britain is governed by the British Ministry of Magic. Other wizarding countries have their own government bodies."

"What if Lily had told anyone else about magic?"

"She wasn't aware of the Statute of Secrecy, therefore she wouldn't have to bear the consequences. The Ministry has specially trained wizards, who are tasked with keeping the Wizarding world hidden. They modify memories, removing knowledge of magic."

Her mother looked scandalized. "But that's…"

"Necessary," McGonagall said, "to keep both of our worlds safe. Unfortunately."

"Witch-hunts," Lily said. "Nevertheless, we're getting off the track. The letter says I have to send an owl. I realize it's a wizarding method of communication. We, however, haven't got an owl."

"I'll accompany you to the Diagon Alley, a wizarding shopping area in London. You may buy an owl there, but it's not required of you. You may simply tell me your decision," the witch explained, pleased to change the topic.

"Does she have a right to decline?" Kathleen asked.

"Untrained wizards and witches…"

"What's the difference?" Amber asked.

"Ah… a wizard is a male witch," McGonagall answered with a smile. "As I was saying, untrained wizards and witches can be very dangerous to people around them. Extreme emotions may cause fatal outbursts of accidental magic. Your daughter has an exceptional control over her magic, but the Ministry can't make assumptions. She must attend a wizarding school."

"Then what choice do we have?" her mother asked.

"There are many wizarding schools over the world she may choose to attend. Hogwarts is, however, the only one situated on the British Islands and only Hogwarts, Salem Witches' Institute and Sydney Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardy teach in English."

"Doesn't United States have a school for male witches?" Amber asked incredulously.

"You ask curious questions, young lady," the professor said. "They have a separate school for wizards."

Although Lily knew answers to most questions, she couldn't deny her mother the chance to learn more about the world she would be a part of. By the time, McGonagall answered all of her mother's and Amber's questions, it was already past midday. Then father came home and McGonagall was forced to answer a second set of questions. In the end, they agreed on a date for a visit to Diagon Alley. Lily couldn't wait to get her hands on history books. She had to learn what had happened to her.


End file.
